People Change
by SophiaOfSlytherin
Summary: The stories of the Marauders. One chapter devoted to each. Mr.s Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. See what secrets they hid from the world and even each other.
1. The Bravest Deed of All, Wormtail

He was eleven years old when sorted into Gryffindor. When Professor MgGonagall cried out, "Pettigrew, Peter!" he almost fainted. Somehow, miraculously, the shy, timid boy was put in Gryffindor. But sometimes, being afraid, admitting it, is the bravest deed of all.

They felt bad for him. Poor Peter had never had a child of his age he could give the title "friend". Never before had anyone even asked his name until he met James, Sirius, and Remus. He met Remus first. A quiet boy, not truly shy, but would rather read a novel than waste time striking up a conversation. Until he met Peter. The two boys were riding the train first year, both nervous about fitting in. Peter because he was very unlike the rest of his family, or anyone else he knew. Remus because he had a problem no one could know about. Peter's possesions slid out of his hands, caused by force of the turning train. One book flew across the compartment and slammed into Remus's head. Remus smiled and, looking at the book, said, "That's a classic." And that was it. Instant friends. Then he and Remus met James and Sirius. They gave themselves names; Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. The bond that couldn't be broken.

Or so it seemed.

The friends began to drift apart. Remus seemed fadingly distant, preoccupied with his troubles and woes, woes with which he always delt with before. Sirius had become obsessed with torturing Snape, and without Lily to protect him now, he had free-range. James had finally won Lily's heart. (James always got what James wanted.) Peter was left alone, helpless, cold. His friends had deserted him, and, as if such trouble wasn't enough, an evil man called Lord Voldemort was rising. Young Peter was scared; terrified. He didn't want to die, not so young. Having just graduated Hogwarts wasn't enough experience to readily pass on to the next life. No, Peter did not want to die.

There were times death seemed inevitable, especially after, on advise from his friends, Peter had joined the a society against Lord Voldemort known as the Order of the Phoenix. Fear ran through Peter's veins now, and cold panic caused his muscles to tighten and untighten occasionally, creating twitches. Fear, reasonable fear, began to rule his life. And why not? Being afraid is not an unrational thing to be. Admitting fear can sometimes save one's life, if one has the bravery to admit it. That's just what Peter would do.

It tore him up inside. Do it, don't do it. Be loyal, be disloyal. A friend, a traitor. Lord Voldemort wanted Lily and James dead. He wanted their young son Harry dead. They all knew it. Peter was secret-keeper to their location. He wanted to live, but Voldemort wanted them dead, and if Voldemort found out Peter was secret-keeper, then he'd be tortured, possibly killed. All he wanted was to live. There was so much he hadn't done, so much he was going to do. And if he died, what then? What about his poor, lonely mother who was all by herself? She would have no one if her only child joined her husband in death. That was torture she couldn't endure. And yet she would have to.

There is a point at which admitting fear is no longer bravery. That is when fear begins to control one's life, to rule it, to dominate it. Peter hit that point when he gave in to fear and went to Lord Voldemort. On his knees he fell, begging for his life like the worm he'd become. He begged, begged like a dog, for his own life, a life that hadn't truly been in danger. Lord Voldemort, cold, heartless, demanded the location of Lily, James, and young Harry. When he started to reply, the Dark Lord cut him off. He told him he could not yet believe the answers Peter gave him. What if he lied? What if Voldemort sent his men, his minions, to the address to find the entire Order waiting, just waiting, for them to arrive? Neigh, Voldemort asked favors of Peter. A lump formed in the throat of poor Peter Pettigrew as he whimpered that he would do as his master commanded. Yes, he said master. The end of the boy Wormtail, friend of Prongs, Padfoot, and Moony, was near.

Peter Pettigrew did all the favors his so-called master instructed him to do. Such dreaful things included spying on James and Lily, arranging rows between his friends, and even, when Dumbledore warned them of a traitor in their mist, making it seem as though it was Remus. There was only one favor the ring leader wanted before Peter was truly trusted; a Dark Mark on his arm.

Peter was terrified. For one thing, wouldn't his friends grow suspitious if he always wore long-sleeves? After all, it was only mid-October. Oh, right, Voldemort had him doing so for a while now. But would they sense a change in his behavior? Oh, right, they already had, but when James began speaking of it, Lily wouldn't have it. But wouldn't his left arm's sensativeness notify them? Oh, right, he hated being touched anyway. There were no loopholes; he had to do it.

The process was painful; it really was. Voldemort took his wand and burn, yes, burn, the mark into his victim, I mean follower, on the arm. Considering each Death Eater is human and humans have bone there, the pain was quite intense. Half-way through, one of the only two witnesses, Bellatrix Lestrange, whispered to the other, Severus Snape, "Wow, he's not quitting, is he? Well, we'll just have to embrace the lump then," she giggled excitedly, "He'll be one of us in only a moment!"

And then it was over. And then he was a Death Eater. And then he was asked once more where Lily and James were. And then he told them. And then, a few days later, James and Lily were dead. So was he, for all anyone would know.

Peter had thought up a plan for the night, for October 31st. He would meet with Sirius in the street, a muggle street. He would cut off his finger, kill muggles, and transform into his animagius form, a rat. Then he would run and leave Sirius for the aurors. No one would doubt it was Sirius; he was a Black, and Black's hated muggleborns. He thought it up all by himself. It was a good plan.

Sirius had met him. Sirius knew, oh, he knew well that Peter, not Remus, was the traitor. Only, Lily didn't believe it, and therefore James didn't, either. Remus also could never believe anything against Peter, even if it meant making it seem like it was himself. He really thought it was Sirius. Sirius was angry, furious, when he came. He demanded Peter confess and... and... and he didn't know what else. It was clear to Peter that Sirius wanted nothing more than for him to drop off the side of the earth, but Sirius wasn't articulate enough to express his emotions in ways that could be repeated. And then, no longer able to bear the physical and mental torment of having his former best friend hate him so, he activated his plan. His finger was left on the street. He killed muggles. He turned into a rat and fled the scene, hearing faintly the aurors as they appeared one by one to the scene and arrested Sirius.

And he was dead. Everyone thought he was dead, that Sirius killed him, which was what his plan had expected. But he was a live. But he was dead. The most important part of him had died; his bravery.

He was eleven years old when sorted into Gryffindor. When Professor MgGonagall cried out, "Pettigrew, Peter!" he almost fainted. Somehow, miraculously, the shy, timid boy was put in Gryffindor. But sometimes, being afraid, admitting it, is the bravest deed of all. 


	2. Humanity, Remus

However he tried to hide it, he was different. He was weird; a freak among men, a freak among beasts. No where did he belong. And the poor soul was just a child. The child was named Remus Lupin. He was caring, rational, and so very smart with such a bright future until the night it happened. After that night, however, though his future was broken, shattered to pieces, his character remained, and he was still caring, rational, and highly intelligent. That night was the worst of his life, for the events not only ruined that particular night, but the next night and all nights after. It was the end of his humanity.

It was a dark, clear evening with the moon just about to rise. Young Remus, perhaps six years old, was playing outside on the miniature playground his parents had bought for him. His mother, a muggle, was in the kitchen making cookies, and his father, a wizard, was with him outside. However, his father had a chore to do and had to leave for perhaps thirty minutes. That was the dooming of young Remus Lupin.

Remus heard a noise coming from the bushes, a sort of russling sound that animals made, so he assumed it was just a large animal, perhaps a raccoon or stray dog. But then, the creature in the bushes cackled with a cruel, harsh tone to his voice. The chortle sent chills down Remus's spine, and so he got off of his swing and began to walk towards the door of the house. A deep voice then commanded Remus to hault, and so he did for fear of what could happen if he didn't. The voice commanded him to turn around, and slowly, Remus did so. Then he a saw a blur leap from the bushes. When the blur leaped, it was man with wolf-like features, but when it reached and tackled him, it was wolf with human-life features. Though he wasn't sure if it had something to do with it, the moon rose during mid-leap. The next thing he knew, he was in a hospital, and bleeding extensively. Humanity was over for Remus John Lupin.

When he went off to Hogwarts some five years later, Remus was terrified of someone discovering his secret. Despite fear of hurting them, Remus befriended children called Peter, Sirius, and James. All four of the new friends were sorted to Gryffindor, where the brave at heart dwell. Remus expected to be Ravenclaw, the house of the brainy, but didn't object to being called brave even though the only brave thing he had done was live through this curse he'd been presented with. He told the sorting hat so, and the hat, which could speak, stated that admitting flaws like Remus did was bravery in itself.

Remus hid his secret, even from his friends, perfectly, until one day during third year. He was running late, being careless, and the moon was nearly up. When James stopped him to ask where he was going, he ran out of tmie and transformed on the spot. Sirius, James, and Peter were in for a real surprise, or so they should have been. The three, however, had been suspecting lycanthropy for many months, and they'd taken the liberty of learning to be come animagi, and the rest, as they say, is history.

For the longest time, the four were inseparable. But, as time past and clocks turned, James began to split away, for he finally had the girl of his dreams. Peter began to dread life, afraid of all things. Sirius had too much time on his hands and began to make Severus Snape's life more hellish than it already was. Peter stood in the shadows, afraid to move into the light, yet more afraid of the dark. He, Remus, had his own problems. With his friends drifting, it became difficult to once again deal with his curse, his "furry little problem" as James called it, alone.

The lonelyness that overswept him soon turned to hurt. It seemed Lord Voldemort knew every move they were planning. A traitor was suspectedly in their mists. Sirius began to suspect him to be the traitor, a thought which had never even crossed Remus's mind once. Lily would never hear of the thought, however. Remus admired her so much. Ever since Lily discovered his secret in sixth year, she'd been on his side for all accusations. Lily would lie in court for Remus, and her loyalty was affectionately returned. Lily was like the sister Remus always wanted but never got to have. His mother had been pregnant with a little girl once, when Remus was one year old, but the pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Her name would have been Emma. That's why he loved Lily so much.

Quite often, however, Remus found himself alone. He had lost Emma before he even got the chance to meet her, or she got the chance to see the world just once. He lost his parents a few months before James and Lily's wedding due to a Death Eater attack. His muggle mother had been attacked, so without hesitation, his father jumped to save her. She was struck with a Killing Curse that sent her body flying back into his arms. The attacking Death Eater used the Cruciatus Curse on him with no response. He demanded death, saying that the pain his body suffered was pleasant compared to the grief. And then he was killed, too. And now Remus was losing the only people he had left; his very best friends.

The pain he felt began to become unbearable. At first, he crawled into a bottle of alchohol and vowed to never come out, but he quickly regained his famous Remus sense of honor and righteousness. He quit drinking and turned to another pleasing substance that was much better for him: chocolate. He began to keep chocolate on his person at all times, just waiting for a situation that so required its use.

The events that ruined him came all in a row, on the same night, for on that night, he lost every single one of his friends for what seemed like perminantly. James and Lily were killed so unexpectedly. Peter was dead, killed by Sirius. Sirius was a murderer of not only one of his best friends but many muggles and sent to Azkaban. Remus was alone. So alone, in fact, it hurt to even breathe or think about continuing on in life. He wasn't even allowed to visit James and Lily's child Harry, who was sent to live with Lily's muggle sister. He was reckless, even suicidal, when he went to Dumbledore, demanding an answer for what to do. Dumbledore smiled and gave him one piece of advice. "Just keep looking forward."

Remus took the advice to heart. He managed to survive twelve whole years, after which he got a job as a teacher at Hogwarts, a school he so loved. Sirius escaped Azkaban and proved his innocence to his friend. As it turned out, Peter was the traitor, not Sirius. Both of the two felt terrible guilt in the pit of their stomaches for ever doubting the other. And then, two years after that, Sirius was stripped from him again, murdered by his own cousin. And then he fell in love with Sirius's cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. He didn't want to love her, to put her at such risk that becoming envolved with a werewolf entitled, but, after a year of her protest and demand, he gave in. They were married shortly after. Soon after, Tonks became pregnant with his child. Remus, scared, left his wife and unborn child until Harry, now seventeen and a force on his own, convinced him to go home. He and Tonks went the entire length of her pregnany, and their son, Teddy, was born. And then the world crashed down at the Battle of Hogwarts. He went to fight, leaving Tonks home with Teddy. However, Tonks followed, her love for him too great to let him risk his life alone. Remus turned his head to look at her one last time while he was dueling Dolohov, a Death Eater. He nodded to her to tell her that he was all right and for her to go on. She did so after mouthing, "I love you" one last time. He returned the loving statement, then, once she was out of sight, took the final spell that ended his life. She followed mere minutes after, and once again, they were together. Not only them, but James, Lily, Sirius, and even Peter, who had died protecting Harry, were reunited. He was home. 


	3. Confidence, Sirius

Sirius always had confidence; that much was true. But what he did with that confidence, even from an early age, sometimes got him in trouble. But to live without any confidence would have been a life not worth living, Sirius knew. He had to be daring because if he wasn't daring, who would be? Surely not his perfect baby brother Regulus, sweet cousin Narcissa, or, by no means, his "unique" cousin Bellatrix. No, it had be him and Andromeda to lead the family out of their dark ways and into the future. He had to be brave because if he wasn't brave, would Regulus, Narcissa, Bellatrix, or even Andromeda be? He was their bravery. He was always their bravery.

Sirius Black started out like every single human to ever walk the Earth; clinging to his parents' every word. He loved his parents for a long time. He loved his whole family, as a matter of fact. They were his flesh and blood, and he had no friends outside of the Blacks. He was very close to Andromeda especially. Sirius listened to what his family thought, soaking in every word. It was around the time when he was eight when everything started crashing down, and it came when he had enough confidence in himself to stand up and say two words. The two words are as follows: you're wrong.

That was when Hell started. His family marked him as a rebel when he wasn't rebellious at all; not yet, at least. Sirius had spent eight years listening to everything they said, listening to every word. His family would not - could not - pay him the same respect back to listen to what he had to say. If he said a single word that disagreed with the thoughts of the family, his entire statements would be disregarded. Sirius was, for all extensive purposes, now an outsider, a stranger forced to live with them. However, it affected him not; he grew up thinking that all families were that way, so he didn't believe anything was wrong. How sadly mistaken he was. And even so, he had the confidence to carry his opinions with him and hold his head high.

He was eleven when he discovered heaven on Earth. It was called friendship. Eleven years old and unknowingly lonely, Sirius Orion Black strutted with his head held high up as he boarded. That is, until he tripped. When he did, he brushed himself off, ignoring all the laughter (he'd learn to block out unwanted sounds from growing up with his mother dearest), and got on board. He plopped himself down in the largest compartment he could find, kicked off his shoes, stretched his legs out across the seat, and, with a big yawn, settled himself in. A minute later, the half-asleep Sirius jerked awake as someone snapped his legs down. He opened his eyes to find a boy with uncontrollably messy black hair and round glasses sitting next to him. The boy smiled, even winked, and no words were needed. Sirius just smiled back, and in a few minutes, the two were talking non-stop. Until Sirius met this boy, James Potter by name, he didn't even realize how lonely he had been for the past eleven years. About half-way to Hogwarts, another boy, this one with sandy hair and raging scars across his face, joined them. This boy was nervous, awkward even, and he clung so desperately to his book that his knuckles were ghostly white. James carefully slid the book from the boy's fingers, and the boy's knuckles thanked him. Sirius and James went back to talking as the third boy sat in the seat next to them, silent for about ten minutes. When that time was up, he interupted Sirius in mid-sentence to introduce himself, having finally worked up the nerve. He said his name was Remus Lupin. James smiled, happy that this new boy, Remus, had finally spoke. After three minutes of a hurricane of questions from Sirius and James, an even shyer boy peered into the crack in the door. This boy was blonde and rather round, and his face stole too many looks at each boy, his nervousness great. Sirius and James shot a whirl-wind of questions to this new boy, who found himself among friends. The boy, Peter Pettigrew, tried to answer each question as best as he could, but sometimes he couldn't keep up with James and Sirius. Remus scolded his new friends for their ill manners, but the second after the words escaped his mouth, all four of the boys were laughing. It was, indeed, heaven. Sirius was no longer alone. He didn't have to be quite so confident, but his confidence surely helped win over his new friends. The four were inseparable instantly. If one of the four was spotted, another was surely by their side, and the other two would definately be following shortly. Sirius was scarcely alone for even a moment, something he loved; he hadn't expected it would feel so good just to belong to something.

Once the train arrived, the first-years like him nervously poured out. However, Sirius was one of the only two not nervous; the other was James. For the first time, Sirius was excited to have a name like Black. It meant he could be sorted nearer to the beginning, so he wouldn't have to wait to find out. Confidentally, he strolled up to be sorted. He was the first name called. When the hat fell upon his head, the hat itself gasped. A child with the name of Black and a mind such as this? Impossible! What bravery! What morals! What confidence! The hat didn't have to tire itself in the process of sorting this child. The hat hardly brushed his hair before he cried out his sorting, and then it was all over. Sirius stood up, strolled down the way, and joined his classmates at the Gryffindor table. He roared with applause when his friends all joined him at Gryffindor, slowly after one another. James was last, and, though he tried to keep his cool, he was sweating like a pig. Sirius chuckled to himself, then shouted his mate's name confidentally. James got a hold of himself, and seconds later, he was where he belonged: with Sirius.

The Marauders, as they later called themselves, grew imfamous around the grounds. Moony, the bookworm and all-around sweet guy. Wormtail, the follower. James, the quiddich captain and professional Slytherin-punisher. Sirius, the heart-breaker. Life was good. Some people puzzled how four boys so different could be such great mates, but the four themselves knew they weren't all that different. Remus didn't belong in any society whereas Sirius didn't even belong at home. James and Sirius could date any girl they wanted. Peter was shy, and so was Remus, at least at first. They were connected deep within their very beings, and no differences on the surface could ever separate them.

For a while. When James finally won the girl he'd practically stalked since first-year, he spent more and more time with her. Remus fell deeper into his own problems. With Lord Voldemort on the rise, Peter began to fear all moving things, the wimp. Sirius found himself bored and lonely more and more, and he felt like he was just the child that no one wanted and didn't fit in quite right with the family again. With nothing else to do, he found himself seeking the company of a particular Severus Snape, their playtoy. But his companionship was irregular; Sirius sought him out only to terrorize him. Sirius knew it was wrong deep down but he had nothing better to do. The four eventually found their way back to each other by one way, and one way only; Lily, James's wife and first (and only) love became pregnant.

They asked Sirius to be the godfather, and how could he say no? A little Potter running around and knawing on the ankles was just what everyone needed to put everything back in perspective. Even with a full-blown war going on and it seemed they were all each other could trust, a baby could be created and raised. Sirius was completely estatic, perhaps even more so than James at first, who, when hearing the news, promptly choked on his soup. Sirius never figured out how anyone could ever choke on soup, anyway.

And then Harry James Potter was born. James's hair. His face. His nose. Lily's eyes. He was the perfect combination of their genetics. Sirius was so elated when Harry was born that he went out and bought a babyseat for his flying motorcycle. Meanwhile, life began to fall down all around them. Peter seemed to shake more uncontrollably than ever. Remus, though assigned a spy-mission for the Order, was absent more and more. On top of that, everywhere the Order went to try and stop Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters, the Death Eaters seemed to be one step ahead of them. When Dumbledore announced that they had a spy, Sirius had his figures pointed internally.

Of course, he didn't tell Remus that he suspected him. On one day- it was late October -Sirius was heading over to warn James and Lily, who had gone into hiding as Voldemort clearly wanted them out of his way, that he believed the spy was Remus, he ran into Peter. With an unsuspecting smile, Sirius explained his situation and asked for Peter's help. Peter said nothing, only shaking his head. Sirius asked him why not, but Peter shared no words. When he raised his wand, Sirius knew he was in trouble. And there were a dozen muggles around! He scolded his supposed friend for pulling it out in public, but Peter only muttered some words, and all of the muggles shot back, cold and unmoving. Peter pointed his wand up at Sirius, trembling as he did so. Sirius did not beg; he had too much self-respect, too much confidence, to do so. He looked Peter in his cold, distant eyes and asked him why. Peter offered no response. He simply cut off a finger, transformed into his rat animagi form, and scurried away. As the aurors arrived, they found Sirius, Peter's finger, and a dozen dead muggles. The signs seemed to point all to one man.

Meanwhile, unknown to Sirius, Voldemort slipped into Lily and James's house. They heard him coming, and Lily ran up to baby Harry's room to hold him tightly. James, however, stayed behind in the living room. He confronted Voldemort as he entered, but in the time it took him to half-draw his wand, Voldemort had spoken those two words, a flash of green light had flickered, and James was dead. Voldemort slithered up to the nursery to find Lily and Harry. Lily begged, pleaded, all for the boy. Her last request fell on deaf ears. He mercilessly slayed her and went to the child's cradle. That night, history was made.

Sirius was shipped to Azkaban with no trial. If there had been a trial, Remus would have vouched for him. Dumbledore would have sworn his goodness. Even Narcissa, now-wife of a well-known Death Eater, would have admitted his innocence. Sirius thought it ridiculous that he be arrested for supposed Death Eater activities without even having his left forearm checked. But perhaps he was a new member, some of the aurors reasoned. Maybe he didn't have the Mark yet. Ridiculous. Still, with confidence, Sirius walked himself into Azkaban with his head held high.

Twelve years later, he made his escape. He was the first to do it. The papers featured his face on the front page. Dementors were sent nearly everywhere to search for him. How idiotic, he thought, to send dementors after him. As they were guards of Azkaban and he had escaped them before, what good would they do now? He met Harry and convinced him of his innocence; he even reunited with his now-only friend, Remus. He was found and nearly given a dementor's kiss until Harry and a friend, Hermione, busted him out. Sirius made another escape, but after this one, his confidence was shaken.

He stayed in contact with Harry for two more years. Harry was so like James. Sirius missed his friends James and Lily something terrible, but having Remus was enough to keep him strong and confident. Voldemort connected to Harry through visions, luring Harry to the Ministry. The Order showed up and had to face the Death Eaters. Sirius sparred with Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa's wife. However, it was an underhanded trick from his cousin Bellatrix that ended this hero's life. He fell through a veil to the other world, and Bellatrix skipped away victoriously. Sirius was gone for good.

At least on the other side he had James and Lily again. Not too long after, Peter, who had gotten redemption by losing his life in the process of protecting Harry's, join the three above in the skies. Months later, Remus and a cousin he had never known, Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda's girl, came, as well. Remus and Tonks came together, man and wife, and, just as James and Lily had watched Harry grow, they would have to watch their own son, Teddy, do the same. Sirius realized, once he was far above the normal world, that confidence had gotten him there. His confidence had teetered between cockiness and normality. There was nothing he could do about it now, nor anyway to regret, but faced with the chance all over again, he thought he might have behaved a little better and not kept his head filled with so much confidence.

**A/N: Even though Moony's my fav character, this has to be my favorite chapter so far. I really like how it turned out. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, and what didn't make sense. And now, in the order of Mr.s Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, James will be our final chapter!**


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